UNDEF Logo Drags Students to Debate Clubs in Schools

The logo of UNDEF, the funding agency of the project “Developing Democratic Culture in Rural Communities Using Radio” has turned out quite unexpectedly to be one big attraction and success story of the project. Young people in rural areas like it. “Porter les Nations Unis!  Je ne suis pas n’importe qui, 0.k !/Wearing the United Nations! I’m not just anybody O.K.!” remarked a new member of the Democracy DebateClub (DDC) of Lycée d’Abong  Mbang, in the East Region of Cameroon   . To the young people, wearing the UNDEF logo on a T-shirt is attention-capturing and prestige-generating.

A logo highly coveted by young people in rural schools in Cameroon.

The station manager of Radio Metung in Abong Mbang,  and high school principals in Lolodorf and Mamfe say, they intend to extend membership of the beyond 10 as initially established since many more students want to be members. Joseph Obi, radio station manager in Mamfe in the South West of Cameroon says “we will go even further to take a strategic measure intended to consolidate sustainability by admitting more students from lower classes and less from terminal classes as members. This will enable us have members stay on to maturity in the club. We can even have senior and junior debate clubs. That’s one other way to satisfy as many students as we can”.

"Proud to have UNDEF on us"

Joe Obi, station manager of Voice of Manyu (VOM) at forefront on photo, intending to discuss the possibility of creating another debate club in Government High School Mamfe.

In the locality of Meskine in the Extreme North Region, new members are also admitted into the school club as some have completed and left the school.

Photo: Democracy Debate Club in Maroua (with Talla Josephine, Staff of Change Comm, second from the right and members)